In this blog site, I have shared several posts about my visits to Vrindavana and about Swami Akhandananda Saraswati.
Swami Akhandananda Saraswati (1911-1987) was a venerated sage of Vrindavan. Known fondly as Maharajshri, he was a shrotriya-brahmanishtta, a sadguru, an Advaitin and a total Krishna bhakta… Some months ago, my English rendering of a Hindi book that contained a collection of his writings was published. The original Hindi book, titled ‘Ananda Rasa Ratnakar’, is a ‘daily-reader’. It has a collection of 366 articles, one per day of the year, selected and edited from over 80 books of Maharajshri. The English rendering, titled ‘Ocean of Divine Bliss’, was released on 4th Dec, 2023 by revered sage Sri Karshni Guru Sharananandaji Maharaj at Ananda Vrindavan Ashram, Vrindavan. This was during the inauguration of a week-long 36th Aradhana mahotsava of Maharajshri.
For his words of great compassion about the book and the English rendering, please see from 3 hrs 36 minutes or so till end of the YouTube video, embedded below
The spiritual life of a sage is a great inspiration for all seekers. I am happy to share my article, ‘Experiencing God’, on the ‘Sadhana’ and God-abidance of Maharajshri Swami Akhandananda Saraswati.
Finding Shangri La is a magnificent gallery of art… The subject is mystical… The landscape is vast, mysterious, icy, ascetic… Time itself stands still… And Mahendra Singh brings it all across with skill of a Carl Sagan describing intergalactic space.
When you see the magnificent photographs spreading across the large book, you are literally transported there. You just stop and gaze. Kinnar Kailash range at sunrise, sunset at Sangla valley, icy waterfalls created by melting snow, Maitreya Buddha lording over the landscape, cave monasteries, dragon-magic murals, snow leopard on the rocks, agricultural fields in the colors of a Van-gogh painting, Bactrian camel shedding its winter coat, pashmina goat with ‘soft gold’ coat, beautiful natives of different races, lion figures and cham dance moves, mysterious manuscripts in ancient monasteries…. And so much more… This is a coffee-table picture book at its best…
And the flow of words… Mahendra Singh is as good an author, as he is a photographer. A natural story teller, he has a penchant for history, nature, wildlife, sociology, and more… Traversing time with ease, he relays a running commentary on the plate tectonic movements of a hundred million years ago, the tensions of a culture whose land cuts across different countries, the incredible story of Colonel Chhewang Rinchen, who was the youngest soldier – in the history of India – to be decorated with the Mahavir Chakra…Which he went on to win twice… The story of the ‘glacier man’ Chewang Norphel; the mysterious origins of a tribe with Caucasian features; the story of Rinchen Zangpo (958 – 1055 ) who established 108 monasteries and temples… The Kargil war memorial… And the world’s highest post-office, at 14567 feet…
Indeed, there is so much information packed in this book that you wish there was index at end. Which wish you then retract… Best to leave it just as it is… For you cannot index the valley of flowers, can you?
Buy the book…
Om mani padme hum !
Tags:Books, Ladakh Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Journey to Shangri La – A book review
Happy to share that my new book ‘Upadesha Saarah – Tattvabodhini’ was launched this month. The book was first released by offering it to Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, by placing it at the holy shrine of Ramanasramam. The first copy was received by the Asram President, Dr Venkat S. Ramanan.
The book was then formally launched by Ramanacharanatirtha Sri Nochur Venkataraman and Sri V Ganesan, in an online function by the ‘Voice of Rishis’ channel of YouTube.
Embedding the launch video below. The video has an introductory talk by me in English, followed by talks in Tamil by Sri Nochur Venkataraman and Sri V Ganesan. The video ends with the song ‘Prapatti Ashtakam’, a composition of Sri Jagadeeshwara Shastri.
This book includes the Sanskrit treatise ‘Upadeśa Sāra’ of Ramana Maharshi, along with Tattvabodhini, a Sanskrit commentary by Atmavidyabhushanam Sri Jagadeeshwara Shastri, a great scholar of Vedanta and one of the foremost disciples of Sri Ramana Maharshi. English rendering of the treatise and commentary, along with explanations and notes, is by yours truly. Also included is a brief life-sketch of Sri Jagadeeshwara Shastri.
In these times of global lockdown, economy woes, and total uncertainty, a verse of ancient wisdom comes to my mind. The verse appears more than once in Valmiki Ramayana, and in several other grantha-s as well. The first occurrence of the verse in Ramayana is in Sundara Kanda. The context is this… Hanuman has found Sita in Lanka. He has begun speaking to her and convinces her of his being the messenger of Rama. And then he tells her :
“O Divine Lady! Rama the son of Dasaratha, the greatest among the knowers of Veda; the knower of the greatest of weapons, the Brahmastra; that virtuous Rama has enquired about your welfare. Also the greatly splendourous Lakshmana, the favourite brother and the devotee of your Lord, himself tormented with grief, performed salutation to you by bowing his head.”
Sita, who has been in absolute despair, feels a sudden rush of happiness. At which time she speaks a verse. The verse begins by saying – Oh how blessed is this ancient Gaathaa…
A gaathaa refers to a saying of profound value, which is so ancient that no one knows who said it or when. Its been there in the air, and has been handed down from one generation to another, often through song that you may chance to hear your grandmother sing, or hear from the lips of wandering minstrel, some faqir singing in the streets….
She says – “Ah, how blessedly true seems to be the popular Gaathaa – that ‘ A man may attain happiness if he lives long enough, even if it means that he has to wait for a hundred years’.
A simple message that proclaims the virtue of patience; the value of holding on to life and hope. Even if one is in utter despair, hold on to hope. For there will be happiness one day. The pain will not last for ever. The gatthaa says – “Even if a man has to endure suffering for a hundred years, he should continue to live; because, one day, he will be blessed with happiness. This is indeed the timeless truth.”
That’s the gaathaa.
The same verse is put on the lips of Bharata later in the epic. When the 14 years period of Rama’s exile is just complete, and there is no sign of Rama, Bharata is in utter despair. In Kamba Ramayana, he even prepares a pyre to immolate himself. And that’s when Hanuman comes, and breaks the news to him that Rama has killed Ravana, and is arriving to Ayodhya within an hour. And that he is coming with Sita and Lakshmana… Bharata, bursting with happiness, says this same verse
I happened to speak to a friend in Brindavan, a naishtika-brahmachari who is on the ‘path’. And he was saying that all this is ‘samashti prarabdha’ – the ‘fate of the combined-world’. It is a bill that that’s been served to humanity for what we have been doing. We now have to pay.
And then my friend spoke of an incident related to a sadhu in braj, a man who was a total renunciate, eating only madhukari. This sadhu had to undergo a surgery and was in a stretcher outside the operation theater. He was just skin and bones, and his body was shivering in the cold. My friend was with him, and in his mind, he wondered how this Sadhu was going to survive the surgery, weak as he was. The Sadhu read my friends mind and smiled and said – “Look! This surgery is not my sankalpa. This is Ishwara sankalpa, God’s plan. And Ishwara Sankalpa cannot be ‘amangal’ (inauspicious). So do not worry about this’.
Indeed, all that is happening now is Ishwara Sankalpa, and cannot be amangal. On that note, take every precaution… Social distancing, self isolation, hand washing, wearing masks, ‘stay at home’ etc… We are in this for the long haul….
As another old saying goes – ‘Jaan hai, thO jahaan hai’…
Among Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi’s compositions, Aksharamanamalai occupies a unique place. A Tamil work of sublime spirituality, the verses have the power of Veda Mantra. They are revealed words that Bhagavan Ramana, as a Maharshi, saw, and shared with the world of devotees of the One! Sri Ramana composed this in 1914 CE, during the course of one circumambulation of Arunachala!
The song has been translated by different devotees into several Indian languages. This translator was blessed to render the holy song into Hindi, some years ago. And then later, in 2014, the centenary year of Aksharamanamalai’, he was blessed to translate the song into English. Both the Hindi and the English translations can be sung to the same metre and tune as the Tamil original.
The English rendering was first presented at Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, during the Aksharamanamalai centenary seminar in 2014, and later in Ramana Kendra in Delhi and Chennai. In 2017, as a fulfillment of a heartfelt prayer, the song was offered in Sri Ramanasramam. Dr Ambika Kameshwar sang the Tamil original, while I shared the corresponding English verses. Sharing a YouTube of the audio recorded that day.
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By Sri Ramana’s Grace, the song was presented again at Sri Ramanasramam, in the course of the program of Aksharamanamalai discourses of Sri Ramanacharanatirtha Nochur Venkatraman, in January 2020. The original Tamil verses and the translated English verses, were presented alternatively, verse by verse. After the program, several requests were received for the lyrics of the English song. While the lyrics are available in the book ‘Ramana Darshana Trayi’ (details given below), it is also being made available here, for download.
The lyrics (in pdf format) can be downloaded here:
This English song, along with a detailed introduction, has been included in the book ‘Ramana Darshana Trayi – Three treatises of Ramana Maharshi’, published by Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, Bengaluru, in 2016. (This book contains intro write-ups and translations of Aksharamanamalai, Upadesha Undiyar, and Ulladu Narpadu. For buying the book or for more info, pl write to office@ramanacentre.com)
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With thoughts of Arunachala!
Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya! Arunachala smaranam!
Today, my dear friend Crazy Mohan passed away. He had no business passing away so suddenly, in the peak of his life. But then that’s the way he was. Spontaneous in everything. For him life was theater, where timing is everything. You may say he passed away with his boots on… He walked into the hospital today… And passed away soon after…
Mohan Rangachari, was a genius… His achievements need no elaboration… A terrific humorist – he was loved for the great dialogues he wrote for some of the best ‘humor movies’ in Tamil. Other than his incredible contributions in cinema and drama, he was also a poet, a painter, and a most pure hearted human being. Such humility, such humor, such easy availability – he was a golden lotus in the murky waters of the workaday world.
My friendship with him was all about Ramana Maharshi. He was a great devotee of the silent sage of Arunachala. When we spoke on phone or met in person, our Hello and Bye were substituted by the happy greeting ‘Arunachala!’. He wrote a whole book of poems on Ramana, in beautiful Tamil.. A biography along the lines of Ramayanam… He named it Ramanayanam. Although he had written this, he had never visited Ramanasramam. It was only later… His first visit to Ramanasramam was with me… And I was privileged to work with him and render in English a series of discussions we had on Ramana Maharshi, which we serialized in the Ramana Way magazine, and later brought out as a book titled ‘Crazy About Ramana’.
He constantly wrote exquisite poetry in Tamil. Every single day, he would share his ‘poem of the day’ with a bunch of his friends. And I was privileged to be one of them. Yesterday, he wrote a couple of verses…. These are perhaps the last verses he wrote… I am giving them below… And I am also sharing my attempt at translating that to English, with a bit of license… Normally, I would have shared it with Mohan… And he would call me happily and we would chatter-chat… So, here’s to you Mohan….
His poem first…
மற்கடக்(குரங்குக்) குட்டியே, மாதா ரமணரை
நிற்க அனுமதிப்பாய் நின்னுள்ளே -வர்கத்தின்
பேதங்கள் போகும் பிறவிப் பிணிதீரும்
மோதுங்கள் அண்ணா மலை’’….!
வந்த மனக்குரங்கு வாயுள்ளே வாத்ஸல்யம்
சந்திர வம்சத்து சூரியன் -பந்தமறுப்பு:
முற்றும் துறக்க முனிவனாய் மாறலாம்
கற்ற களவை மற….கிரேசி மோகன்…!
My attempt at rendering it in English…
O monkey mind, will you please,
Allow Mother-Ramana into your heart;
For all distinctions will then cease
And birth-cycle will depart.
Sing the praise of Aruna hill
Hail Aruna ‘That-thou-art’.
Inside your mouth, O monkey-mind
Is motherly love;
Born of the moon, you will find
The Sun that shines above;
Renouncing all, me and mine,
A monk indeed art thou;
Your clock of knowledge, do unwind
Be free of all you know.
(O monkey mind, will you please,
Allow Mother-Ramana into your heart;
For all distinctions will then cease
And birth-cycle will depart.
Sing the praise of Aruna hill
Hail Aruna ‘That-thou-art’..)
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They say that mere ‘thought of Arunachala’ grants liberation. And here Mohan has punned on odungal as modungal (modungal arunachala)… Smash into Arunachala… As always, he is a smash hit!
Adieu my friend… It seems that the Gods need lots of laughter… Go shake them up…
I am happy to announce my new book ‘Atma Vidya in Adhyatma Ramayana: Selections on Self-Knowledge from Adhyatma Ramayana’.
The book is a translation of narratives on Self-Knowledge, selected from the Sanskrit treatise ‘Adhyatma Ramayana’.
The context is this…
As a spiritual epic, Ramayana is perhaps unparalleled in the history of the world. So deep is its impact across the people of India and Asia, so many are its tellings in so many different languages, that the tale of Rama endures across time, as a voice of consciousness, a quest of righteousness, a seed of cultures, a mirror of mankind…
Contemporary researchers have recorded existence of at least three hundred different Ramayana-s , with at least twenty five in Sanskrit language alone. And among these stars in the cosmos of Ramayana-s. there is ‘One’ treatise that shines as the pole star of ‘Atma Vidya’ – Self-Knowledge. That is the ‘Adhyatma Ramayana’ – literally, the ‘Ramayana of the Self’.
Like all good things in Indian experience, there is no consensus regarding it’s origin. While the treatise is traditionally attributed to be a part of ‘Brahmanda Purana’, authored by Vyasa, there are other views. However, there is a consensus that ‘Adhyatma Ramayana’ is the treatise on which is based the Ramacharitamaanasa of Goswami Tulasidas. That by itself should give an indication of the power and influence of this treatise on Indian Rama consciousness, across time.
The ‘Adhyatma Ramayana’ contains ever so many discourses on spirituality, covering all paths – Karma, Bhakti and Jnana. But the core aim and emphasis is Jnana – ‘Self Knowledge’.
As one more humble offering in the endless garden of this Ramayana, I have attempted to translate into free verse in English, all those parts of this Ramayana wherever there appears any narrative on Self-Knowledge, whichever be the path – Karma, Bhakti or Jnana. The galaxy of narrators is a beauty in itself, which includes Gods, sages, men, women, animals, even, Rakshasa-s…
Titled as ‘Atma Vidya in Adhyatma Ramayana: Selections on Self-Knowledge from Adhyatma Ramayana’, the book has been published by Ramana Maharshi Centre of Learning, Bengaluru. It is my great good fortune that the book has been blessed with a Srimukha by the Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. By the Grace of Rama, the book has come out in the ‘Ramayana month’ of Karkidakam / Aadi.
Those who are interested in buying the book can get it from Amazon India.
Sankar, a friend of mine has the initial “V” in his name, which signifies his ancestral village ‘Vorupattur’. Instinct and family memory indicated that the village was somewhere in the North Arcot district or thereabouts (North Arcot of fifty years ago was a larger district than what it is now)… And he has been searching for this place all his life. In that ‘search’, yours truly too joined ‘eyes’.
One idea that came to mind was that the place name was probably ‘Urupattur’ … Internet did provide scores of people searching for the same place… And no positive finds… One did find people having ‘Urupattur’ in their names, and prominently so among Sri Vaishnava-s. One found that the great sage Nathamuni of 9th century CE had a disciple Urupattur Achan Pillai.. Enquiry with Vaishnava friends drew a blank as to where that Urupattur was. Then through a good friend, one spread the ‘search net’ wider, and he managed to speak to a very learned Vaishnava scholar whose ancestors hailed from Urupattur. The scholar, a nonagenarian, said that he too had done extensive search and had not found the place. He said that perhaps the village may have been in Nellore area of Andhra and may not be extant now… One lead was that many people had migrated from Urupattur, and come to Pon Valainda Kallattur near Chengalpet. Another school of thought was that Urupattur was not a place name, but a title.. Somehow that didn’t sound right.. It did sound so much a place name… And if people still proudly carry it in their names, and have been doing so for generations, it must have been a prominent place… Some mentions could be found in the Net of the village probably being in Kanchipuram district, perhaps near Orikkai or Thandalam… But some people of that area from whom one enquired did not know of any village of that name…
Then someone came with a lead that the village was now known as Upputtur (or some name close to this) and was near Namakkal.. That was close… And Nathamuni hailed from a place near Kaatumannar Koil, which is not all that far away.. So maybe…
Further seeking, I came across a blog which mentioned of Urputtur which existed many centuries ago in Andhra, where Vaishnavas had migrated to. To quote – “According to Historian Prof B.S.L. Hanumantha Rao who wrote ‘ social mobility in medieval Andhra’ mention that a large number of villages had tamil migrated srivaishnavite families such as Satlur, Vangiparru, Karambichedu, Puthur, Urputtur, Viravalli, Kundur, etc. in Karma Raashtra (present Guntur-Vijayawada area) settled during 8th and 9th centuries spreading vedism and Azwaar based Vishnu’s paratatvam.” (Click here for the blog post) .. That was a lead… Sounded like the Urupattur one was searching for…
Searching current maps of the region one could locate Satlur, Viravalli etc in the Guntur-Vijaywada region.. Names had slightly changed… For eg Karambichedu was the present Karamchedu… But one could not find Urputtur…
Searching further, one came across a research document (Click here to read), which mentioned Urputuru. It gave details of two copper plates of 8th and 9th century where someone from Urputuru had been donated a village…
Perhaps the name had changed… Could it be Upputuru or Upputur now? One then searched for Upputturu, and Bingo, there it was… In Parchur mandal of Prakasham district, bordering Guntur. And adjacent to Karamchedu.
To quote from the link above : “The old name of Upputur was lavanapuri Agraharam. Once upon a time Upputur was the chola Kings capital. It has larger area about 8 miles circle. this King built famous temple which are very historical named amareswara swamy temple which is constructed about 1500 years ago and chennakesava venkateswaraswamy temple about 1200 years ago.”…
Could this be the Urputturu/Uruputtur/Uruppattur/Vorupattur?
It is possible… Sankar sure is interested to explore…
And I was remembering Prof K Swaminathan (1896 – 1994), Padma Bhushan…
The Scholar-teacher-poet-Gandhian who did the monumental job of editing 99 of the 100 volumes of the ‘Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi’, which he did over a period of thirty years… A work so wonderful that it has received praise from all over… Here is one from a column in ‘The Hindu’...
“These 99 volumes were a monument to editorial integrity and scholarship. The South African historian Uma Dhupelia-Meshtrie has called the series “astounding”, a view that will be endorsed by scholars all over the world. The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, or CWMG as it was affectionately abbreviated, was something its initiators and executors could justly be proud of. There were few parallels anywhere; perhaps only the Weimar edition of the works of Goethe had the same authoritative status as the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi.”
Now, coming to the point of this blog post…
I have had the privilege of having passed in front of the eyes of the great Professor… And spending some time with him.. Chatting about this and that.. About Gandhiji and Ramana Maharshi… Poetry of Muruganar and Subrahmaniam Bharati… Memories….
Today, on Gandhiji’s birthday, I searched my book shelves and pulled out a Prof K Swaminathan birth centenary tribute souvenir book.. I was looking for a memory… And I found it.. It is a poem by Professor KS… A beautiful poem.. A telling insight… A few verses that reveal what the whole CWMG is about…
I quote from a tribute penned by La. Su. Rengarajan, titled ‘A National Institution’… Here goes..
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Years ago, with his innate love of poetry and wise humour, Prof. Swaminathan summed up the thrust of the hefty volumes of the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi in the following verse…
[Hundred] hefty haystacks
Cluttering up the landscape
Hold within their entrails hidden
Half a dozen needles.
Researchers of the future
With fine-toothed combs
And salaries to earn
May perch on each pile,
Attack it and ransack it
And search, search, search
For the passages that pin-point
The message of these pages,
But Rudra rages
Thro’ the eyes of all the sages:
Learn the lesson now.
This very hour,
’Tis dismal sorrow
Waiting for tomorrow.
Joy is nowhere
If not now here.
Be bold
In thought
Burn the lot, burn the lot.
Behold
In thought
Beneath the ashes hot
The molten metal form
A bead of gold, Ram;
The seed of life, Ram;
A deed of power, Ram;
The work of love, Ram;
Ram, Ram Ram.
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And while I found this gem of a memory, I stumbled upon another pearl in the same article… Helps get a perspective on the above ‘thrust’…
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Earlier, in August 1984, the Professor delivered the K Santhanam Memorial Lecture at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan at Madras. He ended his 8-‘page speech with the following paragraphs:
Ramana Maharshi once remarked, “They say Hanuman is Chiranjivi. It does not mean that a certain monkey goes on living for ever and ever. It only means that there will always be on earth someone who serves Rama as your Gandhi does now!”
In the forties, Masti Venkatesa Iyengar and I met often and loved to find in contemporary politics a reflection of the Rama story. Like Hanuman, Gandhi served his Master, not always wisely. Too much in a hurry, he offered to carry off Sita on his shoulders. He thoughtlessly set fire to Lanka. He wasted time in Madhuvana, and so on. Gandhi ought to have listened to Rajaji (who knew Rama’s mind better) instead of to Patel, Nehru, and Azad. These IF-s of history notwithstanding, Hanuman deserved to win the pearl necklace from Sita’s hands, and Gandhi, the name and fame of Father Of the Nation.
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And so, in the memory of that Mahatma, let us at least lisp that song of his…
Its been a long time since one blogged… So a big Hi first, how have you been, and a Very Happy Maattu Pongal to all!
I was listening to an old recording of Swami Akhandananda’s discourses… (He was a great sage of Brindavan… A rare combination of a shrotriya [master of Veda-Shastra] and a Brahmanishtta [a Self-Realized Sage])…. Swamiji mentioned an interesting point about Dharma… He said that Dharma gives one a certain latitude to non-conform as well.
For eg, take the festival of Holi. It is well known that on that day many people indulge in Bhaang and other herbal-highs… On the day of Holi, such indulgence has been permitted in tradition… On days other than Holi, it is not. It is not even legal, one presumes. Supreme Court wouldn’t hear of it I am sure. But on that one day, the law just looks the other way – and perhaps winks.
Or take Diwali (Deepavali)… On Diwali night, many people offer Lakshmi Puja by gambling the whole night! That is the tradition… On other days, the same people would (mostly) refrain from gambling….
Now, these ‘exception’ days, act as a safety-valve of a pressure cooker. That one day of diversion, allows the adrenalin in man an outlet… And keeps him in bounds of mainstream law on other days… That is the way the traditional society manages emotional needs of man… Rather than putting a blanket ban, give a controlled exception… Have some plasticity… Make the structure earthquake-proof (by giving that “play’ in the foundation)… It is to keep the overall structure of society within bounds of Dharma that some exceptions are permitted in tradition, when a person can non-conform…
Ok now… Take a deep breath… This whole brouhaha about Jallikattu.
“Mattu Pongal – In Tamil Nadu Makara Sankranthi is celebrated as Pongal. The day following Pongal festival is known as Mattu Pongal. The day of Mattu Pongal is dedicated for livestock worship. People in rural areas worship cows and bulls and decorate them with different colored items.
The day of Mattu Pongal is notoriously famous for Jallikattu. Jallikattu is a bull taming sport played in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day.”
Today is Maattu Pongal. Happy Maattu Pongal!
On this day, cows everywhere in Tamil Nadu, are celebrated.
The post describes the festival – “Maattu Pongal the third day of the Pongal or Harvest festival is the day consecrated to the cows. Everywhere, on this day, cows are bathed and decorated with flower garlands and then puja is performed to them with offerings of sweet pongal and fruits. In Ramanashram too, it has always been the tradition right from the time of Bhagavan to celebrate Cow Pongal in a graceful way. Devotees will remember that Sri Ramana was very fond of the cow Lakshmi and He used to feed sweet pongal to Lakshmi with his own hands on Cow Pongal day.”
Here is a picture of Ramana Maharshi with a new born calf.
Indeed, one should witness Maattu Pongal in Tamil Nadu to experience the sheer joy of cooperative joyousness of man and cow. Cows with bells on horns, horns gaily painted, turmeric and kumkuman applied on head and body, garlanded with lovely flowers, and sometimes with garlands of murukku and other eats…. Being offered worship, formally… And being given a Pongal feast…. What a joy…
And as one of the sideshows of this day, happens the Jallikattu…
Why create a ruckus over it?
It is an “exception”.. A safety-valve release of adrenalin…
And what better release than this? Here are a couple of quotes about bullfighting from Ernest Hemingway…
And one must hasten to add that Jallikattu has a fundamental difference from Spanish bullfighting. In Jallikattu, the players compete to hold and hang on to the hump of the bull, and the one who manages to hold on till the bull reaches the finishing line wins. No ropes, sticks, whips, weapons are used. It is hand to hump sport… (For more info please click this link )
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So, I think we should take the balanced view on Jallikattu, and understand the context as well… The numbers are not many… Happens once a year, as per tradition… And it is outweighed heavily by the celebration and worship of all cattle that day…
The numbers and cruelty is not even remotely comparable to what is routinely accepted in society when it comes to Butchery of birds and animals for food – day in and day out…. Here is a youtube video of Paul McCartney…
So – if you really want to protest about cruelty to animals, you know where to go…
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Now coming to the matter of Law…
Law is known better as “letter of law”, and is a technical thing. And I am not qualified to speak of that. There are many experts weighing in on that, and we can hear them…
I wanted to share a more general view on Law – from ancient tradition.. And this has nothing to do with Jallikattu specifically.
I have an interest in Indian epics.
Here is a scene from Ramayana…
When Bharata comes to forest to ask Rama to return to Ayodhya… Rama questions him on how the Kingdom administration is being carried on by Bharata. One of the verses is:
कच्चिदष्टादशान्येषु स्वपक्षे दश पञ्च च।
त्रिभिस्त्रिभिरविज्ञातैर्वेत्सि तीर्थानि चारकैः।।
Rama asks Bharata: Do you keep under your surveillance, employing in each case three spies, each unknown to the other and to the rest of the world, the activities of 18 important authorities of other countries and the fifteen of your own?
Now, one of the 18 authorities that Rama is alluding to is one called as “prAdvivAka” – an official of justice.
Who is a prAdvivAka?
Govindaraja’s ‘Bhushana’ commentary on the above Ramayana verse says:
(PradvivAka is an examiner of worldly matters. His characteristic is mentioned as “In a dispute, he asks questions and counter questions. He puts his questions in a pleasing manner, and so he is known as prAdvivAka”)
(prAd – questions, with vivEka – discerning intellect – and so prAdvivAka)
Now, the fundamental attribute of a person holding the office of prAdvivAka is that he should be a scholar of Dharma Shastra, and a thorough knower of prathA (tradition).
“Raghunandana, the 15th/16th commentator from Bengal and an encyclopaedic author of 28 treatises clearly stated in his discourses on Vyavahara (Vyavahara tattva) that Lokavyavahara or popular custom, convention or the existing social practice enjoyed far superior edge over Sastric norms. He elaborated that if there was a dispute of larger dimension which could not be solved locally, the parties would report to the king or the Zamindar. The king would appoint an expert – Pradviveka (usually Brahmin, but occasionally a ksatriya with exceptional ability) proficient in both Sastric norms and customary practices. He questioned both parties, and after careful consideration he was expected to offer his opinion. Finally, the king would pronounce the final verdict as the supreme authority, though he was expected to ratify Pradviveka’s opinion under usual circumstances.”
So… In our traditional concept of prAdvivAka administering justice, local tradition, custom, practice is extremely important to be understood when viewing what is right or wrong. And our Ancient system of justice provided for it. And please note, Bhushana’s definition mentioned earlier – “He puts his questions in a pleasing manner, and so he is known as prAdvivAka”… Will the learned courts take note!
So here’s my two rupees (still a valid coin!)
Local tradition has jallikattu. It is a controlled affair, and a part of one day of Pongal harvest festival which is dedicated to celebrating cows. It is a sport. It releases Adrenalin. Let it be. Regulate it, where needed. Let it be an exception to be allowed on a special day. Remember Holi, Diwali etc… Add Pongal…
athato 
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